Hazel's POV
I hit the ground hard the instant the Alpha King ripped him off me.
My breath caught in my throat as the hall erupted in chaos around us.
The two of the tore at each other with growls, screams and crashing chairs.
They were fighting.
Jake and Thrain.
I crawled backward.
My hands were shaking even as the cold floor scraped the skin of my knees.
The sounds of their fists and claws making furious impact filled the air.
Blood sprayed across the floor.
They both roared.
One growl was deeper and angrier.
But the other one was weaker now and filled with only gasps of pain.
I didn't need to see to know which of them made the sounds in question.
Jake was losing.
Thrain was going to kill him.
I couldn't stay.
No one stopped me as I slipped through the crowd because they didn't notice me.
My cloak dragged behind me as my bare feet slapped against the stone.
My heart pounded in my ears as I rushed out of the hall and into the night.
I headed straight for the woods which was situated just behind the estate.
I ran into it and didn't stop even as the branches cut at my arms and legs.
I didn't care where I was going.
I just needed to get away from the blood and away from him.
I needed to be away from everything.
But then I heard it.
It was a powerful howl.
Someone was after me
I glanced over my shoulder and my heart nearly stopped beating.
He was behind me.
The Alpha King.
It was Thrain in his wolf form.
He was massive and as dark as the shadows with his eyes glowing in the night.
He tore threw the woods after me.
I turned and ran harder.
My legs were screaming from the smarting pain that came from sprinting.
Then I shifted mid-run.
I was not used to the fur bursting from my skin while my bones cracked.
I was barred from shifting in Jake's pack for so long I didn't know how long.
My body was quickly reshaped as my wolf desperately took over.
{Stop running.}
His voice was deep and calm as it slid into my mind from the open mind link.
The sound sent a sharp wave of raw hunger and something dark through me.
{Stay still Hazel.}
And it felt too close.
It sounded too close for my comfort.
{You are mine.}
{No! I belong to myself!} I snapped back at him through the mind link.
I couldn't go from one devil to another.
But he didn't respond to me.
I increased my speed.
I was fast, lithe and desperate.
My body moved like the wind.
Then his voice came again.
{Watch out!}
I jerked to a halt.
I looked down and around.
But I see that there was nothing in front of me, absolutely nothing.
My eyes widened in realization.
I had been deceived by Thrain.
I made my move too late.
Thrain slammed into me from behind and pinned me down with his huge form.
He stared down at me.
I let out a sharp whine and twisted beneath him but his weight was too much.
He leaned down and his growls were low, constant, almost right by my ear.
My wolf bared her teeth, snapping at him while desperately trying to wriggle free.
But we were weak, too weak from running away and from everything.
{Give up Hazel. You are mine.}
There was no way out for me.
I gave up.
The both of us began to shift to human form at the same time.
Our flesh returned to where fur had been.
I ended up beneath him, skin against skin and covered only by the shredded remains of what had been my cloak.
His chest was heaving above mine with his eyes fixed on my face as if I was prey.
I shoved at him.
But he didn't move.
I didn't have enough strength to make his huge form bulge in any way.
Why was he so big?
"Get off me," I hissed.
But he didn't speak.
He didn't have to.
I felt it in his silence.
It was that same possession that had flared in the hall when he had seen my bruises.
{Sleep well Hazel.}
I didn't see his hands move.
The only thing I felt was the impact of his palm meeting my neck.
Then I blacked out.
I woke later to motion.
My body swayed with the rhythm of wheels rolling over rough earth.
I realized that I was in a carriage.
My head was achkng badly and all of my limbs felt like stone.
My stomach twisted with the motion.
I opened my eyes and realized I was lying on a cushioned bench.
My torn cloak was draped around me and I was naked underneath.
I began to roll over to the side.
"Be still," that familiar voice said, nearly causing me to jolt out of my seat.
He was sitting across from me and still had those his bloodied clothes on.
His arms were crossed over his chest.
His eyes were on me.
I sat up fast, grabbing the cloak tight around myself with wide eyes.
"What did you do?" I asked.
My voice was rough.
"Why did you take me?"
He didn't give me an answer.
"Say something!" I snapped.
He ignored me.
"Where are you taking me to? Take me back. I never asked you to bring me here."
I was shouting now.
But he still didn't move.
I leaned forward in order to be able to perry out of the carriage window.
There was nothing but trees.
We were far gone, too far.
"I said take me back," I whispered as an emotion began creeping up my spine.
I knew what it was.
It was fear.
"There is nothing left for you to return to Hazel," he finally said in a quiet voice.
My heart dropped.
"What do you mean?"
He didn't blink.
"I burned the pack hall. The guards are dead. Your former mate is in pieces."
I couldn't breathe.
My voice cracked.
"What did you do?" I asked him in a whisper as I imagined the chaos.
He leaned forward slowly.
His eyes were darker than ever.
He looked terrifying especially with the blood still drying on his sleeves.
My heart pounded hard as something cold started coursing through my veins.
His smile was cold and sinister as he began to speak in a whisper.
"They have all paid with their lives for touching what is mine."